Fight to End Cyber Crime

A regional effort is now underway in Grenada to tackle cybercrime. A team of FBI cybersecurity and cybercrime experts has been facilitating a 2-week course. This comes as evidence mounts of a rapid increase in incidents of criminal activity in cyberspace.

Jeffery Stanley, the legal attaché, says from 2013 to 2014, attacks on smartphones increased by 20%, and from 2014 to 2015 they increased by 25%. He says with cybercrime being on the region’s shores, it is important to recognize vulnerability so that action can be taken. The Caribbean, he says, is an “attractive target for cyber criminals, with the factors of widely available internet, mature banking systems, and the free flow of money”.

Assistant Police Commissioner, Michael François, says that while reports of cyber crimes are steadily increasing, the region has not kept abreast with the necessary tools and procedures to combat the issues at hand. François indicated that “in order to respond to these challenges, there is an urgent need for technical training and equipment, along with better networking across the region.” This, he believes, would assist in “strengthening our relevant legislation which, in this regard, will be critical in achieving our overall objectives”.

The workshop received participation from members of the Royal Grenada Police Force, as well as attendees from Antigua, Dominica, St Kitts, St Vincent, and Barbados.